In May 2008 a helicopter flew over unexplored parts of the Amazon in Acre State in Brazil, near the country’s border with Peru. Onboard were officials from Funai, the Brazilian government's Indian affairs department, on a mission to prove the existence of unknown Amazonian tribes who have never been in contact with the outside world. The few aerial pictures Funai has released show startled and intrigued people and their huts but do not reveal any landmarks which could be used to identify the exact location.

This report assesses farmland, forests, freshwater
ecosystems, marine and coastal systems, wetlands of
international importance and mountain ecosystems
in order to provide evidence of progress — or lack
of progress — towards the 2010 target of halting the
loss of biodiversity.

Resource efficiency is a policy priority for Europe. However, across the region there are many different approaches to ‘doing more with less’, as shown by a survey of countries’ policies, carried out by the European Environment Agency (EEA).

Continuing depletion of Europe's stocks of natural capital
and flows of ecosystem services will ultimately undermine
Europe's economy and erode social cohesion. Most of the negative
changes are driven by growing use of natural resources to satisfy
production and consumption patterns. The result is a significant
environmental footprint in Europe and elsewhere.

Natural resources and waste — Environmental regulation
and eco-innovation have increased resource efficiency through
a relative decoupling of resource use, emissions and waste
generation from economic growth in some areas. However,
absolute decoupling remains a challenge, especially for
households. This indicates scope not only to improve production
processes further, but also to alter consumption patterns to reduce
environmental pressures.

The European economy needs huge amounts of resources to function. Apart from consuming minerals, metals, concrete and wood, Europe burns fossil fuels and uses land to satisfy the needs of its citizens. Demand for materials is so intense that between 20 and 30 % of the resources we use are now imported. At the other end of the materials chain, the EU economy generates around six tons of waste per person every year. With the boom in international trade, EU consumption and production may potentially damage ecosystems and human health not only within but also far beyond its borders.